Are new mpg regs a step in the right direction?

It is hard to argue against paying less money at the pumps. I had a small heart attack the last time I had to fill up my car. But there is a downside to paying less at the pump.

The Obama administration finalized standards that will increase fuel economy to 54.5 mpg for cars and light-duty trucks by model year 2025. It is estimated that consumers will save more than $1.7 trillion at the gas pump.

And while that all sounds positive, it appears that the Obama administration is forgetting one thing.

There is a tax on every gallon of gasoline, 18.4 cents to be exact, that is used for the Highway Trust Fund. The fund finances road and bridge construction and mass transit. It also finances the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund.

If we lower the amount of gallons we are buying at the pumps, it could leave the trust fund running on empty.

The gas tax was designed essentially as a user fee. The more you use the road, the more you would pay, in taxes.

The price of maintaining the roads and bridges has gone up not down. Congress should be looking at ways to grow the fund, especially if there are plans on the horizon to reduce the amount of revenue into the fund. Instead of being upset with the price of gasoline we will turn to being upset with the condition of the roads our fuel efficient cars are using.

One could also assume that the technology to make these cars more fuel efficient will drive up the price of the vehicle. So the money we save at the pump will probably be lost when we pay more for the vehicle itself.

Saying that there is a plan to force automakers to make more fuel efficient cars is a great sound byte, but there is a bigger impact that needs to be addressed before 2024.

(Michelle Ganassi is the assistant city editor at the Daily American. She can be reached at michelleg@dailyamerican.com.)